Name: Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Prep time: 240 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 265 min
Yield: 12 bars
Ingredients: Cooking spray; 1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers; 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temp; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest; 1 Tablespoon lemon juice; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 large eggs

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Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Kelly Senyei
26 March 26, 2018
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Fuss-free cheesecake is only a few simple steps away with this recipe for Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars!

Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars on white plate with cut lemon and more bars on a blue plate in background.

Cookie bars. Granola bars. S’mores bars. Pecan pie bars. You name the dessert and I have sliced and diced it into every bar shape possible. But cheesecake bars? This is a new one around here.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve indulged in the bar form of everyone’s favorite sweet and tangy cheese-turned-cake creation. But this recipe takes “easy” to a whole new level when it comes to whipping up these bad boys from scratch.

Crushed graham crackers in glass bowl with melted butter being poured on top.

It’s exactly everything you want of the classic dessert, sans the stress of a water bath, the potential of a cracked top, and fussing and fretting over texture that commonly accompanies making a stellar cheesecake.

We’re talking a 2-ingredient graham cracker crust that bakes up moist yet with just enough crunch. And on top? Allow this next photo to do all of the talking…

Lemon cheesecake mixture being poured over graham cracker crust in a aluminum foil lined square baking pan.

Creamy, creamy, creamy cheesecake filling! Six simple ingredients blended together into a slightly lemony yet definitely vanilla-y mixture that’s baked and then chilled to cheesecake perfection.

Best of all? These bars can be made a day in advance, stored in the fridge, and then sliced and topped when you’re ready to serve them. Opt for a dollop of whipped cream, a spoonful of fresh fruit, or a drizzle of caramel or chocolate. Sweet success indeed!

Square-cut Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars on white plate with cut lemon and more bars on a blue plate in background.
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Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Prep: 4 hours

Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 12 bars

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil then grease it with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed graham crackers and melted butter. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and press it firmly into an even layer.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition, then pour the cheesecake mixture atop the crust, spreading it into an even layer.

Bake the cheesecake for 20 to 25 minutes until the center is almost set.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let them cool completely before covering the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerating the cheesecake for 3 hours.

Remove the cheesecake from the fridge, slice it into bars and serve.

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